‘Minecraft’s’ Huge New Patch Is Coming And These Are The Coolest Features

Minecraft fans having been waiting a long, long time for an update. Mojang hasn’t had a major patch for Minecraft since 2014’s Bountiful update, so patch 1.9, known as the Combat Update is long overdue. On Monday, February 29, we get the greatest leap-year present ever – patch 1.9. What patient miners and crafters will get in this update, as you can tell by the title, is not just another new set of blocks, updated sounds and recipes, but an entirely new way of playing Minecraft.

The big combat change: dual wielding. This doesn’t just mean you can grab two swords and have at it (you can), but it’s a major game changer for exploration, farming and combat. Now you can hold a torch in one hand and mine in the other. You can also have seeds in one hand and a hoe in the other, making your whole farming operation that much more efficient. It brings a more intuitive feel to the game. A more realistic feel. For years, we were playing a single, right-handed game, now you’ll be able to multi-task effectively. Eat food in one hand, while working your shovel/pick/axe. There are almost countless combinations for dual wielding that streamlines Minecraft as we know it.

Most importantly – think about those desperate times in which you’re down to just a single torch, trying to find your way out of a dangerous cavern system. Holding that torch in one hand while you make your way out with a sword in the other is the closest thing we’ve come to an Indiana Jones moment.

Patch 1.9 will add more “delays” to the combat, creating battles that will play out more naturally and require more strategy, something combat in Minecraft was severely lacking. Naturally, I had to build an arena with my pals on our server to celebrate the Combat Update:

So what can you do in this arena? And what else is out there?

Shields: SWORD AND BOARD, BABY! With dual wielding you can have a weapon in one hand and a shield in the other, soaking up arrows and deflecting attacks.